Friday 28th June 2024

 

Woke around 0900. Dozed for a bit before rolling out of bed and porridging. Did some gardening out front...the wisteria needed another pruning, so I perched atop the step ladder, wielding the shears. We took an early lunch, then walked to Finsbury Park, catching a Victoria Line train to Oxford Circus, where we changed for the Central Line. Got out at Wanstead, and walked, my Paul Hathway mandolin on my back, to No.47 Langley Drive...the home of said Paul Hathway. I want him to add a pick up and jack input to the mandolin I bought five years ago, so I can do some tunes on it at the open mics. We were surprised to find Paul operates out of a residential 30s era semi, rather than a unit on a light industrial estate. He answered the front door, and lead us up to his 'shop', where scores of mandolins, mandolas, parlour guitars, and bazoukis hung from every wall of the upstairs box room. They made a sort of shimmering sound as we spoke in the small room. We also got to glimpse his workshop, in a small back bedroom...there were a couple of large lathes, and countless pieces of sapele and cedarwood...it was all quite a sight! He works alone, and reckons to make about 100 instruments a year...gobsmacking! He revealed he used to work in jewelry, and ran a jewelry shop on Seven Sisters Road at the Nags Head...I'm pretty sure I bought Kerry's engagement ring in there in 1987!!! We left the mandolin with him, and he promised to give me a shout when it was ready. We took a walk down Wanstead High Street, which wasn't as attractive as I'd been lead to believe, but we stopped for a swift half in the Bull, which had a sizeable beer garden out front, hidden from the High Street by a high hedge, and a bronze bust of Sir Winston Churchill...he had been MP for Woodford from 1945 onwards. Took the tube back to Holloway Road, and walked up to Waitrose, then headed home. We had smoked eel for dinner, with rice, aubergine, and miso soup, followed by blondie and ice cream. Watched a bit of Glastonbury coverage...all very uninteresting, P J Harvey, and LCD Soundsystem aside...and the presenters, bar Lauren Laverne, are appallingly bad...